Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb encager

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb encager

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The English translation of the French verb encager is “to cage” or “to imprison.” It is pronounced [a(n)-ka-zhe] in its infinitive form.

Encager comes from the French word “cage,” which means “cage” or “prison.” It is most often used in everyday French in the plus-que-parfait tense, which is the past perfect tense in English. This tense is used to describe an action that happened before another action in the past.

Here are 3 simple examples of encager in the plus-que-parfait tense:

  1. J’avais encagé les oiseaux avant de partir en vacances. (I had caged the birds before leaving on vacation.)
  2. Les prisonniers s’étaient encagés après la révolte. (The prisoners had caged themselves after the revolt.)
  3. Il avait encagé la bête sauvage pour la protéger des chasseurs. (He had caged the wild animal to protect it from hunters.)

In each of these examples, the action of encager (caging/imprisoning) happened before another action in the past. In the first example, the birds were caged before leaving for vacation. In the second example, the prisoners caged themselves after the revolt had already happened. And in the third example, the wild animal was caged before the hunters could harm it.

Table of the Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of encager

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais encagé J’avais encagé l’oiseau. I had caged the bird.
tu tu avais encagé Tu avais encagé le chat. You had caged the cat.
il il avait encagé Il avait encagé le chien. He had caged the dog.
elle elle avait encagé Elle avait encagé le lapin. She had caged the rabbit.
on on avait encagé On avait encagé le hamster. One had caged the hamster.
nous nous avions encagé Nous avions encagé la souris. We had caged the mouse.
vous vous aviez encagé Vous aviez encagé le serpent. You had caged the snake.
ils ils avaient encagé Ils avaient encagé le lézard. They had caged the lizard.
elles elles avaient encagé Elles avaient encagé le poisson. They had caged the fish.

Other Conjugations for Encager.

   
    Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb encager
   

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb encager
   

    Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb encager
   

    Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb encager
   

    Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb encager
   

    Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb encager
   

    Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb encager     (this article)

    Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb encager

    Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb encager

    Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb encager

    Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb encager
   

    Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb encager

    Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb encager
   

    Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb encager
   

    Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb encager

    L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb encager

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb encager

    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
   

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Encager – About the French Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense

The French “plus-que-parfait” tense is a past tense used to express actions or events that occurred before another past action or event. It is often translated to English as the “pluperfect” tense. The name “plus-que-parfait” literally means “more than perfect,” indicating that it is a tense used to describe actions that were completed before a specific point in the past.
NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Tense Formation

To form the plus-que-parfait tense, you typically use the auxiliary verb “avoir” (to have) or “être” (to be) in the imperfect tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb. Here are the conjugations for both auxiliary verbs:
1. With “avoir” as the auxiliary verb:
   – J’avais mangé (I had eaten)
   – Tu avais parlé (You had spoken)
   – Il/elle/on avait fini (He/She/One had finished)
   – Nous avions lu (We had read)
   – Vous aviez choisi (You had chosen)
   – Ils/elles avaient joué (They had played)
2. With “être” as the auxiliary verb (usually for intransitive verbs or verbs indicating a state):
   – J’étais parti(e) (I had left)
   – Tu étais arrivé(e) (You had arrived)
   – Il/elle/on était tombé(e) (He/She/One had fallen)
   – Nous étions resté(e)s (We had stayed)
   – Vous étiez né(e)(s) (You had been born)
   – Ils/elles étaient monté(e)s (They had gone up)

Common everyday usage patterns

Sequencing of past events

The plus-que-parfait is used to express a past action that happened before another past action. For example, “J’avais mangé avant qu’il ne soit arrivé” (I had eaten before he arrived).

Background information

It is also used to provide background information or set the stage for a main past event. For instance, “Quand je suis arrivé, ils avaient déjà fini de manger” (When I arrived, they had already finished eating).

Hypothetical or reported speech

In indirect speech, the plus-que-parfait is used to report what someone had said or thought in the past. For example, “Il avait dit qu’il viendrait demain” (He had said that he would come tomorrow).

Interactions with other tenses

– The plus-que-parfait is often used in conjunction with the passé composé (simple past) to establish the sequence of past events. The passé composé describes the more recent action, while the plus-que-parfait describes the action that occurred earlier.
– It can also be used with the conditional mood to express a hypothetical past event, like “Si j’avais su, j’aurais agi différemment” (If I had known, I would have acted differently).
– When used in reported speech, it can be combined with the conditional mood or the imperfect subjunctive to reflect the original mood and tense of the reported statement.

Summary

The French plus-que-parfait tense is an essential part of the language for expressing past actions that occurred before other past actions, providing background information, and reporting past statements or thoughts. It is an integral component of constructing complex and accurate narratives in French.

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb encager. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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